Our Honeymoon in Hawaii, part 1

So it has been awhile since I have wrote, but one of my excuses is that I was on my honeymoon with Geofford in Hawaii! Overall, the honeymoon was a lot of fun, but it started really poorly. Read on if you are interested. If not, I will post our pictures soon.

We had booked our whole package through expedia and this included both our flight and our accomodations. In hindsight, I am going to try and fly Air Canada whenever I can because then you actually know what you are going to get. We were scheduled to fly on American Airlines from Ottawa to Chicago and then from Chicago straight to Honolulu arriving at 2:30 local time. Seems pretty easy right? Well, we had a 6am flight out of the Ottawa airport, so we dutifully arrived at 4am, after not sleeping all night, because there was no real point. As we arrived to the gate, my cell phone rang. It was American Airlines informing me that the 6am flight to Chicago was CANCELLED (please look at the photo to the left, which is a photo of the departures at 4:03am which states that the 6:00am flight to Chicago was on time), and we were booked on the 12:30 flight to Chicago instead, and since we weren't going to make our connection to Honolulu, they changed our connection to go to Los Angeles and then to Honolulu, putting us in Honolulu for 9:55 local time. Obviously we were very disappointed and confused because neither of us had sleep since the night before, so we went to ask the ticketing agent, and she was really rude and said that there was nothing that she could do because we were on the 12:30 flight. Meanwhile, other people in line seemed to be able to do something because they were able to go through customs. We called expedia to see if we could be reimbursed if we took a cab home and then back because part of our package included travel insurance which included trip delay, if your trip was delayed more than 6 hours, which our trip was. After a few hangups on the other end, we finally got through to an agent who put us through to the insurance people, who told us that we may not be able to get reimbursed, because the delay has to be out of province or something like that. What?!? I think that the agent felt sorry for us because she did open a claim for us, but did insist that we may not be reimbursed for our expenses. As we were already spending a lot for this trip, we decided to stay at the airport, as would only be another 4 hours before we get through the gate, which at the time didn't seem that bad.

As the line had dwindled at American, we decided to ask why other people were able to go through customs, and just to see if we could do. The lady there was super rude and just explained that we couldn't go through because of US Customs rules that you couldn't wait in the waiting room for more than 2 hours. Fine...so we just sat on a bench at the exciting Ottawa airport and took turns napping. Finally at 10:30am, we got back into line and were able to go through customs and get rid of half of our luggage as it was checked in. Now all we had was our carry-on, which included Lisa's wedding dress (part of our honeymoon was attending Lisa and Stephan's wedding) as I was the matron of honour. After a while, I just pretended the dress was mine, because it was too much trouble explaining that I was bringing the dress for someone else.

So once we got through and into the waiting area, we learned that the 12:30pm flight was delayed to 1:15 and we finally boarded the plane at 1:30. Yay! We were on our way to Hawaii, finally.... The only other travel problem that we encountered was due to the delay in Ottawa, we missed our connection to LAX by literally 10 minutes (we watched the plane push away as we got to the gate...O'Hare is a big airport, we had to move from Gsomething to Ksomething...), so I had to call American and get them to reroute us, again. Fortunately there was one last flight out of LAX to Honolulu putting us there at 12:55am local time, almost 11 hours later than we were supposed to arrive. We were also thinking at this point and called the Hotel and our shuttle to inform them that we would be late. When we called the hotel, they were very happy that we called because Honolulu was packed that night because Pearl Jam was opening for U2 that night, and the Honolulu marathon was the next day. So it was... a little busy.

We fortunately had no more problems getting to Honolulu, the shuttle driver found us, we got lei'd, and got a nice tour of Honolulu/Waikiki since a lot of roads were closed for the marathon. Fun...but at least we were finally here. When we checked into the hotel, the Outrigger Waikiki Shore, we were informed that we could only get a room with two twin beds because we were checking in so late, but I was too exhausted (after travelling 27 hours and being awake almost 48) to complain. Fortunately, the bed was made up as a king size when we got to the room, so it wasn't so bad.

But in the end, we made it to Hawaii, and our honeymoon could begin. I'll try and write more soon...

Naomi's Road

My cousin Jessica is the soprano for the Vancouver Opera's production: Naomi's Road, which is coming to Ottawa. I have heard many cool things about this opera, so I am really happy that it is coming to town. I have copied the press release below, so others can read about it. I am about to read the book as well, and my mom has informed me that it is quite sad.

VANCOUVER OPERA

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 6, 2006

Media Contact: Doug Tuck, Vancouver Opera 604-331-4823
dtuck@vancouveropera.ca
Vancouver Opera presents
at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa
its acclaimed opera for young audiences
Naomi's Road
A touching drama of family, home, and cross-cultural understanding


Vancouver, BC ~ After inspiring nearly 50,000 children in schools and
community venues throughout British Columbia , in southern Alberta , and
in Washington State , Vancouver Opera's acclaimed opera for young
audiences and their families, Naomi's Road, continues to resonate in
profound ways. From November 1 through 12, 2006, Vancouver Opera, in
partnership with the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa , will present twenty
performances of this very moving opera at the museum.

About the Opera
Commissioned by Vancouver Opera, Naomi's Road was composed by Ramona
Luengen to a libretto by Ann Hodges and is based on the 1986 novel for
young readers by award-winning Japanese Canadian writer Joy Kogawa. Set
during World War II, the opera depicts the dramatic journey of
nine-year-old Naomi, her older brother Stephen, and their "Obasan" (aunt)
from their comfortable and happy home in Vancouver to a Japanese
internment camp in the interior of B.C. Sister and brother endure the
harshness of war, racism, bullying, and loss of family to discover the
gifts that sustain them: music, words and love. Their resilience of
spirit and the kindness of certain strangers they meet offer hope for the
future and will lead Canadian War Museum audiences to discover the power
of understanding and the beauty of compassion.

In announcing these performances, James W. Wright, VO's General Director,
said, "This meaningful work deeply touched many people, children and
adults alike, during its tour of B.C. and in locations in Alberta and
Washington State that hold their own unique memories of the Japanese
internment. We are delighted by the opportunity to share this opera with
young audiences in Ottawa , within the resonant surroundings of the
Canadian War Museum ." Added Wright, "I believe that this presentation of
Naomi's Road comes at a time in history when it is important to reflect on
the ways in which war and its by-products can not only affect the future
of nations but also forever alter the lives of children and the security
of their families. Vancouver Opera is privileged to stage a production
that has the unique ability to act as a catalyst for audiences of all ages
to enter into important dialogue on these issues."


Performance Details / Tickets
November 1-3: School performances (not open to the public)
November 4 and 5: public performances 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm each day
November 7-10: school performances (not open to the public)
November 11 and 12: public performance each day at 2:00 pm

Tickets to the public performances are now available from the Canadian War
Museum 's call centre at 1-800-555-5621 or 819-776-7014. Tickets may also
be purchased in person at the Canadian War Museum box office. Prices are
$10 for students, and $20 for adults, plus any applicable service charges.
Schools can purchase group tickets by calling 1-800-555-5621 or
819-776-7014.

About Joy Kogawa
Joy Kogawa's novel Naomi's Road is based on her 1981 award-winning adult
book Obasan, the first novel to deal with the internment of Japanese
Canadians during and after World War II. Widely admired and read, Obasan
was chosen for the Vancouver Public Library's 2005 city-wide annual book
club program, One Book One Vancouver. Joy Kogawa was born in Vancouver in
1935. Like Naomi's family in the novel, Joy's family was interned in
Slocan and later sent to Coaldale , Alberta after World War II, where Joy
taught school. Kogawa, who now lives in Toronto and Vancouver , is a
recipient of numerous honorary doctorates as well as national and
international awards for her writing. In 1986, she was named a Member of
the Order of Canada . "When I first heard that Naomi's Road was being
made into an opera for children, I had a sense of unreality," she said.
"I couldn't quite fathom it. And even today, knowing that somehow,
through some mysterious process, the story has been magically transformed
into a wholly different and wonderful medium, I still find it hard to
believe and am left somewhat stunned. It's more than a dream come true."
Adds Kogawa, "The existence of this opera tells me once again that the
unexpected is what happens -- and that there are more blessings in the air
than we can ask for or imagine. May we each walk on our own special
roads - like Naomi and [her new kindred spirit] Mitzi - with Friendship,
discovering as we go that our world is full of a loveliness that is
greater than all the grief in our lives."

The Creation Process
Vancouver Opera awarded he commission for Naomi's Road in the fall of 2003
and the process of writing and composing began. Ann Hodges penned the
libretto in the winter of 2003/2004. Composer Ramona Luengen wrote the
last notes of her score in September, 2004. That same month, the libretto
was read at a special event at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National
Historical Site , in Steveston, B.C., (located at the site of the seizure,
in 1942, of hundreds of fishing boats owned by Japanese Canadians).

Two week-long workshops were conducted, one in the fall of 2004 and the
other in the spring of 2005, during which the work was developed and
refined. In May, 2005, portions of the opera were sung for an
international audience at the annual OPERA America conference, in Detroit
. And in early June, 2005, selections from the opera were performed at
the 2005 UBC-Laurier Institution Multiculturalism Lecture, at the Chan
Centre for the Performing Arts, in Vancouver . The performance and the
lecture, by poet and writer Roy Miki, were later broadcast on the CBC
Radio program IDEAS.


During 2005-2006, Vancouver Opera's touring production of Naomi's Road
visited more than 140 schools and community venues throughout B.C. The
experience of seeing and hearing Naomi's Road was enhanced with study
materials that were created and provided by Vancouver Opera to each school
in advance of the performance. The production also traveled to Lethbridge
, Alberta and to Seattle and Bainbridge Island , Washington . It was
enthusiastically received wherever it was performed.


Production Details

The production features original sets and costumes, designed by Christine
Reimer, which beautifully evoke the 1940s period of the opera's story and
have been cleverly engineered to fold up for touring purposes. Stage
direction is by Ann Hodges.

The musical score, for piano accompaniment and four singers, is richly
melodic and dramatic. Easily enjoyed by young audiences, the music is
also deft and sophisticated enough to be appreciated by adult audiences.
It incorporates traditional Japanese melody and its beautiful voicings and
harmonies are influenced by Ramona Luengen's experience as a composer of
choral music. The Musical Director is Leslie Uyeda.

Cast
This production reunites the four young singers and the nimble-fingered
pianist from the Spring 2006 segment of the 2005-2006 tour. Soprano
Jessica Cheung is Naomi; soprano Gina Oh is Mother, Obasan and Mitzi (a
non-Japanese girl whom Naomi befriends); tenor Sam Chung is Stephen; and
baritone Gene Wu is Father, the Trainmaster, a bully, and Rough Lock Bill
(an eccentric but kindly man who lives in the mountains above the
internment camp). The pianist is Angus Kellett. The stage manager is
David Fuller.

Support
Naomi's Road was commissioned and produced by Vancouver Opera with the
support of Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, Opera.ca,
Vancouver Foundation, RBC Foundation, Vancouver Arts Awards, The Hamber
Foundation, The Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation, and the Spirit of BC
Arts Fund.

This presentation at the Canadian war Museum is made possible with the
generous support of Ms. Yoshiko Karasawa.

Our wedding pictures

Here is the last set of "official" pictures. These were taken by my brother Francis. I call this set the authorized unofficial pictures. If anyone out there has any of our wedding pictures that they would like to share, please do - it would be nice to see them.

"Official" Pictures from the Wedding

Here are some of the pictures that Dan Benoit took for our wedding. It is located here.

The only set of pictures that I have left to upload are those that my brother Francis took with Geofford's camera.

More pictures from the wedding

Here are some more pictures from the wedding

Yvan's
Toto's

I am going to pick up the official photographs from our photographer tomorrow, so we will hopefully have some more pictures soon!

Married life is pretty good, it is still strange to see Geofford's finger with a ring on it, but it does really make me smile.

We had a busy few days over the past little while. Francis and Jaclyn had their blessing on Friday night, which involved the nuptial blessing as well as some food and drink. It was nice to see Jaclyn's family again. We also finally got to meet Justin - her brother who was away in St. Lucia doing some great work. On Saturday we went to DimSum with the Gannons and then on Saturday night we celebrated Stephan's 30th Birthday. I really hope that married life doesn't involve so much eating/partying because then I don't think that I will have time to get a job because I will be too busy trying to work out to keep off the extra calories.

I think that this week will be good because we will start settling into a more regular routine. Geofford working, and me being a housewife (I am no longer unemployed, I am a housewife until I find a new job). I hope I do find a job soon because I don't want to get too used to not working or else Geofford will be in trouble :)